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Friends of Keremeos’ David Waugh organizing fundraiser, pancake breakfast to help with kidney transplant

The fundraiser takes place Sept. 27 with pancake breakfast the next morning
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Friends of Keremeos resident David Waugh are throwing him a fundraising dinner to help with raise money to pay for kidney transplant surgery. (Facebook photo)

The Keremeos community is coming together to help one of their own.

Village resident David Waugh, who is known for his work as a volunteer firefighter and an employee with Ashnola at The Crossing, was diagnosed with kidney failure about a year ago. He was recently told he would need to have kidney transplant surgery and he also started dialysis, making it impossible to work.

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“He is an outstanding person who helps everybody in town with dump runs and house cleaning and moving and all sorts of stuff,” said best friend, Jasmine Anderson, who added he is also the godfather to her son.

”He’s been a firefighter for three years. It was something he jumped in to and put his whole effort in to. Everyone knows who he is, literally, everyone knows who he is.”

Waugh, 33, has been dealing with health issues for the past 10 years, she added, but that didn’t stop him from helping others.

To raise money to help with medical expenses, local firefighters and his friends have organized a fundraiser dinner at the Branding Iron Pub on Sept. 27 starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 and there will be a silent auction, 50/50 draw and raffles. Tickets can be purchased at Branding Iron Pub and Hilltop Esso.

On Saturday, the firefighters are holding a pancake breakfast that will feature a dunk tank, giving residents the opportunity to dunk local RCMP officers and firefighters.

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All the money raised will go directly to Waugh to help with everyday costs during treatment, such as the drive to and from doctors appointments and places to stay while undergoing treatment in Vancouver. Only the surgery is covered and Waugh has to pay out of pocket for everything else, she explained.

His friends are hoping to raise around $5,000 to help out Waugh, but they don’t have a set goal.

“It’s not about the money for us. We wanted it to be about the community coming together to support one of their own,” she added. “We’re just trying to help out a local firefighter and resident who is down and out. We don’t really know how long he has left.”

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